The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gasification cooling systems, such as radiant syngas coolers, which cool gas from a gasifier.
Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants are capable of generating energy from various hydrocarbon feedstock, such as coal, relatively cleanly and efficiently. IGCC technology may convert the hydrocarbon feedstock into a gas mixture including carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), e.g., syngas, by reaction with steam in a gasifier. These gases may be cooled, cleaned, and utilized as fuel in a conventional combined cycle power plant. For example, a radiant syngas cooler (RSC) may receive and cool the syngas upstream from a water gas shift reactor and/or other gas cleaning units. Unfortunately, the high temperature of syngas entering a throat of the RSC can potentially damage heat exchanger tubing and/or the body of the RSC without sufficient thermal protection. Furthermore, thermal changes in the RSC can cause significant thermal expansion and contraction, which complicate the design for thermal protection in the throat of the RSC.